Hunger and Disease in Haiti

  Save the Children is warning that thousands of lives could be lost to starvation and cholera, especially children from the poorest and most vulnerable households.

About 200,000 more children in Haiti have been pushed into crisis-levels of hunger this year, with almost half the country's population not knowing where their next meal will come from, Save the Children said.

The number of people experiencing crisis-levels of hunger or worse in Haiti has risen  to 4.7 million --- including 2.4 million children --- up from 4.3 million earlier this year.

For the first time ever, more than 19,000 people, including about 9,600 children, are facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

Haiti is also battling its worst cholera outbreak since 2010, with more than 6,800 suspected and confirmed cases reported since 2 October. Children are most at risk from the deadly disease, with those 19 and under making up more than 41% of confirmed cases.  Children who are already facing severe acute malnutrition are especially vulnerable to the spread of cholera and are at least three times more likely to die if they contract the deadly disease.

Chantal-Sylvie Imbeault, Save the Children's Country Director in Haiti said:

"The situation in Haiti is rapidly deteriorating. Millions of children are going to bed hungry every night, and for the first time ever, we're seeing children face famine-like conditions. Many families are being pushed to the brink and using credit to purchase everyday food items due to a dire combination of economic collapse, political turmoil, and gang violence that is blockading fuel and life-saving food. The country is now on the verge of collapse, and we fear the worst for millions of children."

Haiti: 200,000 more children pushed into hunger since March, as nearly half the population goes hungry - Haiti | ReliefWeb